This is a course that will examine the voices of historically marginalized communities, how art and literature elevate those voices, and how history and/or current events create, reinforce, and challenge systemic inequality. In this class, you can expect to read from a variety of genres and formats – from novels, short stories, and poetry, to editorials, biographies, and other non-fiction pieces. 

This is a course that will examine how literature is a reflection of the greater human experience. You can expect to consider the connections between literature and nonfiction works and other disciplines such as history, current events, science, ethics, and more. Students can expect to read a variety of genres and media, from long-form texts to poetry, journalism, short stories, films, biographies, memoirs, and more. The course will focus on essential questions about human experiences and how we consume information through the written word. 

This is a course that will examine films as texts through historical, artistic, and/or thematic analysis. Similar to how many English courses read traditional literature (novels, short stories, etc.) as a learning tool, this course will ask students to “read” a variety of films. This could include traditional cinema (feature films/movies), documentaries, short films, and/or television programs, all from a variety of genres or animated / live-action styles. This course may focus on the history and craft of film as an important communication tool, the art of crafting a thoughtful story through motion images, or a combination of the two. 

As a junior or senior year English course, AP Language and Composition focuses primarily on American non-fiction texts. The course undertakes a rigorous study of rhetoric and argumentation, mirroring the content and level of assignments found in introductory college-level composition courses. Students respond directly to a wide variety of American readings from the early years of democracy to contemporary life: letters, speeches, essays, novels, short fiction, articles, and image-based texts. In addition to the chief emphasis on non-fiction and political rhetoric, other anchor texts for the course include Fast Food Nation, Just Mercy, and The Things They Carried. The course addresses the essential questions of the American experience: What is the American Dream of success, and have all groups had an equal opportunity to pursue it? What are the philosophical underpinnings of American social and political thought, and how do Americans approach and respond to conflict in these realms? In the fall, students delve into the elements of rhetoric that authors use to influence their audiences: the classical rhetorical appeals, tropes, schemes, tone, syntax, diction, imagery, and symbolism. Spring work includes mastering the formal elements of argumentation and the researched synthesis argument essay on an issue of controversy in American society. Students use these understandings and close reading habits to improve their own writing through emulation and adaptation. The end goal is for students to use the lens of rhetoric to comprehend and evaluate any text by analyzing language with critical precision. The College Board notes that the course “cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement.”

View the College Board AP English Language and Composition Course Description

AP English Literature and Composition is designed to provide students with a college-level approach to reading, writing, and critical analysis in advance of the National Exam in May. Students will examine a wide range of genres and periods, ranging from Antiquity to the 21st Century, in order to consider how and why authors create meaning in various texts. They will read poetry, prose, drama and satire, as well as philosophical works and literary theory in order to provide insight into questions of textual production, authorship, theme, and symbolism. Students will be asked to consider how certain topics, such as identity, power, trust, love, oppression, isolation, and struggle are interpreted by authors in different cultures and time periods. Moreover, they will be encouraged to reflect upon how these universal ideas relate to their own lives. Through their writing assignments and projects (including a longer research paper), members of the class will get the opportunity to engage with broad questions by means of close analysis. In other words, they will use their interpretations of specific texts as a way to think about universal dilemmas.

View the College Board AP English Literature and Composition Course Description.

This course explores how comedic texts and performers – from around the world and close to home -- challenge our perception of reality as well as our societal and political assumptions. Some feel that humor moves our society forward and humanizes the experiences of others, whereas others feel that humor reinforces stereotypes and solidifies divisions. We will examine the dangers inherent in such controversial expression and the power that humor can bring to marginalized voices. The course considers satire, parody, and humor found in essays, stories, poetry, drama, songs, political cartoons, memes, film, television, and stand-up comedy. We will also examine current libel laws, the extent of free speech, disgraced writers /performers, and possibly banned texts. Students will write analytical pieces, teach and provide class material, practice emulating humorous forms, complete the senior research paper, and perform or create a final capstone project that is seriously funny. Ellen DeGeneres and the cast of Saturday Night Live will fly in to teach several classes. JK. In her place, an Overlake alum has offered to make cameo appearances.

Tell Me a Story: The Power of Stories in Human Experience aims to engage students through reading stories by American writers:

     1) for inspiration

     2) to provide insight into the varieties of human experience

     3) to enhance close-reading skills for appreciation of writing techniques for various purposes in telling a story

     4) to write analytically and creatively in response to readings and discussion.

The course is discussion-based and will include opportunities for student choice of stories to read and discuss. The instructor will also choose stories for the class to read and discuss including fiction, nonfiction, podcasts, music, film, and plays. Students will write to analyze stories, craft creative writing work (your own stories), and explore questions emerging from research on how and why stories do what they do.

The American Dream is alive and well and available to anyone. But is it, really? What does it mean when we hear that someone has “achieved the American Dream”? What belief systems are we reinforcing? What assumptions are at work? This course will draw upon fiction, memoir, essays, poetry, and comics (with authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Elizabeth Acevedo, Kamala Khan, and Amanda Gorman, as well as artists from the Harlem Renaissance) to question the limits of the American Dream. We will consider the role that gender, race, sexuality and other identifiers play in our access to the American Dream. Questions we will explore include: What is the myth of the American Dream? How do elements of our identities influence our definition of and access to the American Dream? Is the American Dream an attainable—or even worthwhile—pursuit? Students will complete a range of assignments—analytical essays, personal reflection, narrative writing, poetry, and presentations—as they grapple with these questions. One of the goals of the course is to think critically about the systems of power and privilege at work in any conversation about the American Dream.

This course could be called androids, aliens, and monsters, oh my! From a dystopic world where math reigns supreme to an alternative present-day where time-bending aliens make first contact, from a brilliant scientist’s monstrous creation to a young woman’s search for self against the backdrop of an intergalactic university, this course will draw upon both classic science fiction and more contemporary speculative fiction to introduce students to key elements of the genre. Students will explore the themes of science fiction as a way to understand social issues and problems of the human condition as represented in literature, television, and film. Students will read authors such as Mary Shelley, Ted Chiang, Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, N. K. Jemisin, and Nnedi Okorafor. Students will also watch the iconic films Metropolis and Bladerunner among others as well as watch popular television shows like Star Trek (original series and The Next Generation) and The X-Files. Questions we will consider include: What does it mean to be human? What if there are other life forms “out there”? What can we learn about ourselves from “the other”? Students will write analytical and reflective pieces as well as practice emulating the elements of science fiction in their own original writing as they think critically about the ever-changing world around them.

This senior elective explores central questions surrounding what it means to engage meaningfully in the world: What do people seek in their connections with others? Why? What do we pursue in our lives and why are those things important to us? How do humans respond to hardship and pain? What is authentic empathy, and what role does it play in our daily interactions with others? The class will read a mix of fiction and nonfiction with primary readings from: Colum McCann, Emily St. John Mandel, M.K. Asante, Sonali Deraniyagala, and Eli Saslow. In addition to exploring the questions through the readings, students will grapple with their ideas in analytical and reflective writing. The material will push students to develop their reading, writing, and discussion skills so that they can think more deeply about their own experiences right now and be fully prepared for the challenges they encounter in the future.